Very slow. Unable to concentrate on this book. Did not enjoy reading had trouble even getting past the first chapter, let alone any further.

This book is a very unique take on greek mythology. There are so many twists and turns that I never saw coming! It has a pretty slow start with a lot world-building. I absolutely loved reading the slow burn slightly spicy, enemies-to-lovers, marriage of convience, forced porximity love story between Ariadne and Dionysus.

Okay hear me out. Sci-fi Futuristic Greek Myth Retelling. It sounds odd, but your slightly intrigued?
Yea me too. I gave it a shot and while at first it was hard to get my mind around it, it ended up being a very pleasant read and I’m looking forward to see if this author does more of these myths this way!

Pros:
🪐This is one of the most unique retellings I’ve ever seen and while it took a bit to get into, it’s now one of the best I’ve ever read
👑The tension between our MMC and our FMC was PALPABLE and I am here for it.
🪐The character growth for our FMC was progressive but not overly rushed. The author balanced a fine line and the payoff was delicious.
👑I loved being able to see other Greek Gods and I hope we get to explore their stories!

Cons
🪐The story is a little slow to start and due to the type of story (scifi) it was a little hard to get into until around the 20% mark.
👑 This is a PERSONAL con and not one that faults the book or the author in anyway, but I do not enjoy reading M/M or F/F scenes, and there was F/F in this book. This was a bit uncomfortable for my tastes but I am not faulting the book or author for this.

I don’t know if the either cons are really something to fault the book for or if it’s a user issue. Most likely the latter, but unfortunately it did take away some of my enjoyment.

Thank you @netgalley and Random House Publishing Group for a free copy of this book to give an honest review.

First off I love the cover of this book. I Enjoyed the world building at the beginning. But after that I wasn’t really hooked. The first half of the book didn’t have enough going on to entrap me. I will say the second half was better.

This a retelling based off of Greek Mythology god Dionysus and Ariadne with a bit of a futuristic dci-if twist. There were some queer characters which I liked because in today’s day and age we are more accepting of gender preferences. (I like to think) I also liked all of the different creatures in this book.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine for giving me early access to this book! All opinions are my own.

This book was an easy 5 stars for me. All I needed to hear was modern retelling of Ariadne’s myth in space, and I said sign me up!

The author Cait Corrain did such a phenomenal job of blending ancient myth with futuristic possibility, and giving us a story that is both unique but familiar at the same time. There are some content warnings associated with this book, but I feel that the author handled them in a great way. I plan on grabbing this book as soon as I can!

A re-telling of the love story between Dionysus and Ariadne that takes place in a sci-fi world. I must confess that my knowledge of Greek Gods and Goddesses is limited, so this was a fun introduction. This book was such an easy read, and you could just as easily lose track of time while reading it — I certainly did. I loved the power dynamic between Dionysus and Ariadne. Even though he's a god and she isn't, he was always so gentle with her and made sure she was comfortable. The communication and mutual respect between the two were truly *chef's kiss*. My only problem with this book is that the plot didn't really progress that much until the end and I found myself getting bored in the middle. Nevertheless, it was an enjoyable read.

If you like books with spice, marriages of convenience, Greek mythology, and queer characters, then you'll be a fan of this.

This was FUN. Greek mythology with a science fiction twist was something I didn't know I needed in my life. The world building was immediate but never felt monologued, The forged friendships and relationships were given time to be explored, with the intensity that the god of hedonism deserves. By the second half of the book I was staying up far too late, just for another page. The interactions of power dynamics between every level seemed very realistic. The gender-fluidity, bisexual(pansexual?) natures that are explored but not a trope, it was masterfully done.

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey for my review copy.

Crown of Starlight is a queer space odyssey retelling of the myth of Ariadne and Dionysus that includes all the major Greek players - the minotaur, Prince Theseus, and the Olympian pantheon. Cait Corrain remixes the aesthetics of great sci-fi works like Star Wars, Star Trek, and The Locked Tomb series with classic mythology to create a tale where the Greek gods play games with human lives in a technologically advanced universe. On the planet of Crete, Crown Princess Ariadne trains against her wishes to one day take over her father’s throne. Her half brother Astarion - the minotaur, a creature with thoughts only to kill and feed, lives in torment while caged in the Labyrinth for his mother’s sins. Because of Crown Prince Androgeus’s death at the hands of Athenians, Crete demands Athenian sacrifices to the Moirai and minotaur as recompense. When Ariadne is asked to lead the ceremony, she orchestrates a plan to end the bloodshed once and for all. But once her plan comes to fruition, Ariadne is betrayed and finds herself in the helping hands of Dionysus and a bargain she can’t refuse.

Corrain’s novel is a mildly interesting take on the well-known story of Ariadne and stands out on aesthetic alone in our current mythology retelling market. Corrain makes it clear in her author’s note that she intends to “combat the misuse” of mythology through heavily incorporating the queer aspects of Dionysus’s story that are often removed or straightwashed. I thought she handled this in a very respectful and organic way, and it made for a more well-rounded story. I loved the character the author created for Dionysus, and his crew of diverse Maenads are some of the best characters in the story. They steal every page they’re on.

For the most part, Crown of Starlight is a romance with a decent amount of spice set against a sci-fi backdrop. Most of the novel is spent building the tension and romance between Ariadne and Dionysus, and very little is concerned about the war at large - mostly the beginning and the very end. There’s a lot of useless world building that doesn’t go anywhere, lots of “important” people with really long names we never meet again and places with problems that don’t really matter to the story. I assume if the novel branches off into a series, we may hear about those places and people but they aren’t important in the main scheme of Crown of Starlight. There are also some important characters that just straight up disappear, so we never get a resolution or an explanation and Ariadne just seems to shrug and forget one of the most important people in her life. If there is a follow-up novel, I would hope to see some kind of resolution for those characters.

I just didn’t vibe with the story at large - I think because it mostly felt derivative of other works, so there wasn’t anything super refreshing about the plot. It’s a basic retelling with a dash of religious trauma sprinkled in. The romance is entertaining, if a little predictable. I started to get frustrated with every little miscommunication that ended in a spat between Ariadne and Dionysus. It gets old after the fourth time. I also thought the climax and resolution were kind of silly and rushed, and some questions were just completely left unanswered. I feel like Ariadne and Dionysus’s story wraps up in this first book, so why all the loose ends specifically for Ariadne? Also, I hope the author finds another word for underwear. “Drawers” is not it.

3.25 stars

Was not prepared for Dionysus’ fits to be inspired by Fast X Jason Mamoa; was LESS prepared for the Gen Z sentence constructions that the MC speaks in.

The futuristic space setting is gratuitous and I would personally define this as fantasy with high tech, not science fiction. Pacing is very random where weeks go by within a sentence and the dialogue is awkward to say the least. Gave a generous rating because Corrain captured Dionysus’ symbolism, gender and sexuality conscientiously. Recommend reading the author’s note at the end.

DNF'ed. I expected to like this. I generally have fun with new adult fantasy/romantasy and I nearly always enjoy a greek mythology retelling. I don't require books in this genre to be literary masterpieces to enjoy them. I just need them to be at least marginally exciting and captivating. I can forgive a lot in the nuts and bolts of the writing if I'm swept away in the story or invested in the characters. In this case; however, I personally found the premise (despite its promise!), setting, and general plot to be uncompelling and the writing to be disjointed and juvenile. It seemed to drag and I was never able to personally identify with the FMC as a character or with her story arc, I DNF'ed at nearly half way.

I hope this review wasn't too harsh! I've read a lot of books in this genre; and for me, it was just notably sub par.

Holy space balls, y’all. This book!! 🤩
READ THIS BOOK!

The banter. 🙌🏼 The story. 🤯 The spice. 😮‍💨
Greek gods in space?! Yes, please! Did I think this was something I wanted? Not really. It was something I NEEDED. This is a Ariadne and Dionysus retelling. In space. 🤩 I was completely enthralled. I was literally salivating over this story. Could I pronounce half the names? No. Do I care? NO!
I. COULD. NOT. GET. ENOUGH. 😍 Between amazing plot twists, and the sexy orgies I was in heaven. 😏 I was literally on the edge of my seat the entire time. It never slowed down. Punch after amazing punch, I was THERE for it! And while there was excellent spice, this story was so much more than space porn. It had substance. The story was top notch. 🙌🏼

The world building is slightly chunky, but necessary and worth getting through. I think the author does a great job of helping the reader really picture the environment, without being too “info dumpy”.

Slow burn 🔥
Morally grey MMC
Intelligent FMC
Political intrigue
Marriage of convenience
Fake dating
Greek mythology
Bdsm
LGBTQ

Spice rating
🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
(multiple explicit sex scenes with non traditional/non “vanilla” themes)

“Did I give you permission to touch yourself?”
🥵😮‍💨

GOD DAMN! 🫠

I’ll be buying this book the SECOND it comes out. You should too! 👏🏼 I’m praying there is more to this story because I can’t get enough. And Cait? I’ll read your damn grocery list. You’re a new instant buy author for me! I can’t wait to see what you do next!

This book was a five star for me. I love Greek mythology, the plot was amazing and sucked me in. The writing was very descriptive, so much so some scenes made me feel like I was actually involved! Very good read!

This was a sci-fi/mythology mix and oddly enough it worked. Not to mention the romance was 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️ very spicy.

I loved that this book wasn’t just space battles and androids this was akin to ACOTAR in the sense of running from what binds you and discovering who you really are underneath it all. Some sci-fi books are meant to be gory and traumatic but I’m slowly dipping my toes into the romance side and I’m enjoying it. This was a really fun high stakes journey.

Spoiler free
Thanks NetGalley for the eARC.
Really liked this read. The world building is amazing. Representation in the story is done really well. Character growth is fantastic and satisfying. Loved the romance and the Greek retelling *chefs kiss*

Thank you to NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing for the opportunity to read this ARC!

First off, this cover is GORGEOUS and was the reason I was so drawn to this book. After having finished reading it, I love the cover even more now. It paints a stunning image of Ariadne.

This is my first Greek mythology fantasy read, and it definitely did not disappoint. This is such a unique world and magic system. It is like Greek mythology meets Star Wars and I was totally here for it! The action had me on the edge of my seat, while the spicy and sweet nature of Ariadne and Dionysus's relationship had me seeing heart eyes.

I loved how Ariadne's character was written. Sometimes you see main characters move past traumatic experiences in such a short period of time, so I appreciated seeing Ariadne work through the ups and downs of healing and learning how to trust again.

Ariadne and Dionysus's romance is absolutely epic. Dionysus has such depth to his character, and I wish that we would have had the opportunity to read from his POV at some point in the book. Just when you think he can't be any better, he proves you wrong. Their relationship is so sweet (and spicy!!!!!) that I was grinning like a little kid while watching them grow into each other. I am 100% convinced that he loved her way before Ariadne realized she had fallen in love. UGH HOW CUTE!

I would say that I think the very very beginning of the story felt a little choppy, and I wish the world building would have been more slowly sprinkled throughout the story.

Overall I really enjoyed this read and I was so happy with the ending.

Honestly could not get into this. DNF at about the 30% mark. I just really did not enjoy the voice of the MC and lost interest as a result. I'm sure there are others who will enjoy but not for me.

I was immediately drawn to this beautiful cover. And when I read the description, I knew I just had to read this!

Mythology and space—that is unusual. I wondered how they'd pull it off, but let me tell you, they did it amazingly! The world-building was great; they took the solar system and wove it into the story. I mean, for someone like me who loves all things space, this made me happy.

It's clear that the author put a lot of thought and consideration into her characters and the romance. Oh, it was so sweet. Ariadne's journey—her path to healing those emotional scars—was enduring. And Dionysus? Let's just say he's the reason why I adore book men more than real men! But honestly, I became deeply invested in both of these incredible characters.

I can't even express how much I enjoyed this story! I mean, who doesn't love it when an author can tell an entire fantasy story in just one book, without dragging it out over five or more volumes?

I highly recommend this book, and I'm getting the physical copy for myself upon release! It's going right on my shelf, where it belongs. A massive thank you to Netgalley and Cat Corrain for letting me read this story.

Enjoyed this book. It was a very creative take on mythology! This book had a good bit of spice in it and I love the inclusivity of different sexual orientations and non-binary characters! There were a few times where this book made me laugh out loud. The ending was my favorite part of this book. Thank you for allowing me to read this arc. This author is now on my radar for other books!

This novel was entirely unexpected in the best way. Sci fi, fantasy, Greek myth, romance? I really thought that this many potential genres would get messy, but Corrain did a great job of piecing this story together. And it was so much more than coherent; it was a delight to read. I enjoyed it so much and honestly can't wait to see what else she comes up with!

Thank you NetGalley and Del Rey Publishing for the ARC!

YALL this is the next big thing. This book was excellent.

Much like Dionysus himself, this book is pure hedonism. It’s spicy, it’s smart, it’s witty, and it’s well written.

I appreciate her vocabulary, not in a pretentious “SAT words” kind of way, but more in just a you can tell this is a well read person way.

This book features good banter, great sarcastic, and it explicitly acknowledges that puns are the lowest form of humor.

The writing style of fourth wing in that it’s easy for non-fantasy readers to get into but it’s Greek gods in space.

As another previously sheltered kid with lots of expectations placed on them, I always enjoy watching one of us say fuck it and let loose.

A bit info dumpy in the beginning 10% or so so closer to 4.5 stars but still amazing.

Tropes:
- Marriage of convenience
- Only one bed